fresh tomato and summer squash soup

the stock

• Bones leftover from 10 grilled porterhouse steaks
• 2 yellow onions, quartered
• 2 potatoes, quartered
• 2 bay leaves
• handful schezuan (or black) peppercorns
• handful of available fresh herbs

1. place everything in a pot, fill the pot with cold water until everything is covered
2. Bring to a boil
3. Reduce to a simmer
4. Ignore the beef stock for a couple hours, it needs time for the flavors to develop
5. Strain stock, reserve the liquid for the soup.

the soup

• 2 quarts roughly chopped tomatoes
• 2 quarts roughly chopped green squash
• 2 quarts roughly chopped yellow squash
• 5 slices thick bacon, cut into lardons
• salt, pepper, oilve oil, paprika, cayenne
• sour cream
• garlic chives

1. Find a large pot, 10 quarts or so
2. Heat up olive oil in the pot, when hot add the lardons of bacon, dump in a heavy tablespoon of paprika and some cayenne. season with salt and pepper
3. cook bacon until the fat is well rendered out.
4. add tomatoes, cook down until you get a lot of water out of them
5. add your strained beef stock, bring up to a boil,
6. reduce heat, season with salt and pepper, simmer for an hour or so.
7. Add both the green and yellow squash, by doing so you’ve decided you want to serve this soup in about an hour
8. Once you are ready to serve the soup adjust the seasoning to taste, then pour into bowls and top with a dollop of soup cream in the center, then sprinkle with garlic chives.